Ox Mountain Railway

[Rhinochugger]

Not so sure about the cats, but I certainly like the trains

Have always hankered after a US diesel set but having diverted into Fn3, that now seems unlikely.

 

[trammayo]

Not so sure about the cats, but I certainly like the trains

Have always hankered after a US diesel set but having diverted into Fn3, that now seems unlikely.

I like cats - but couldn't eat a whole one (with apologies to the memory of the late W.C. Fields).

I would have got one set (FA1 + FB) last year if seller hadn't withdrawn AFTER I paid for it! I always thought that "that an offer to treat" was sealed when money exchanged hands.But that's ebay for you.

FN3 - you'll have to post a thread on that (I hope)!

 

[trammayo]

Mick,
I would guess the cats get used to the trains, and tend to ignore them quite quickly.. Possibly to the extent they won't move if sunbathing on the right of way?

Our two (still youngsters) were interested in first-run of 'something' round my oval on the grass.. The younger female stayed interested longest. possibly because I was there, and she seems to like company. - Well, she likes to be 'in the vicinity' anyway.

Yes they do like being around. Although he is well past the kitten stage he still like to play. Mae has settled down a lot but she still likes to play.

Then we have a stray. The meanest, scruffy, and greedy cat I have set eyes on. He eats partly what ours leave plus a load more. And, if you don't put the bowl down quick enough he draws blood. No cat rescue around here otherwise I'd gladly put my welding gauntlets on to get him the cat basket. Being a clot, I clot easily!

Our two are scared of him.

 

[playmofire]

Eating habits suggest he has worms. Slip a worming tablet in his grub.

 

[trammayo]

Eating habits suggest he has worms. Slip a worming tablet in his grub.

We have tried it (worming powder) but it hasn't made any difference. But we will give him another go - ours won't eat anything with any medication near their food (we use Spot-on for them but it's a two-person job and a large towel administering anything orally). Felix, as we have named him, just gobbles it down!

 

[playmofire]

Ah, the delights of administering Frontline, I think it was called, to our last cat, an ex-feral we had for 12 years.

 

[trammayo]

Ah, the delights of administering Frontline, I think it was called, to our last cat, an ex-feral we had for 12 years.

And it didn't work out this time - he's become rather choosy of late! He left the food with the wormer in it.

 

[trammayo]

I haven't been idle on the model railway scene. Prior to our Bank Holiday, I superelevated the R1's curves at the village end of the trailer layout. I had suffered a few derailments over the years - the worst destroying the motion (at the cylinder end) of a BH - one with the "improved" front bogie swivel. This variation reminded me strongly of Bassett Lowke's 0 gauge stuff!

Anyway, suffice to say, I did not suffer one derailment over the two days I was at shows!

On the garden line, rotting woodwork has proved a source of annoyance. When I rebuilt things and extended over the drive, I built a depot. I had to extend the track base for this and used a couple of 4" wide strips of wood. The original timber base carrying the line towards the trestles, had been treated and covered in mineral felt. My later linear extension was was just covered in bitumen, heavily brushed on.

One of the oddments of timber I used was a piece of 12mm Far Eastern Ply - the other a piece of hardwood from an old pallet. So the new ply did not pass muster.....


The 3.5mm ply on the depot doors has delaminated too - but at least it's not rotten!



So, yesterday I decided to remove the remains of that 4ft extension. The ply was easy - the pallet wood not so as it was as hard as nails and I had to smash it to pieces to get the brackets off!



Minus the depot structure - the corroflute (ex-election poster) base.



The felted original base covering - still sound. The sleepers can just be made out under the depot floor...



I had some tanalised board a fraction wider so decided to use it - only thing being the curvature of this base meant sawing it in two. I then used some offcuts of 14kg mineral felt and a piece of 'torch-on'. The piece of treated timber before disecting - the dark shape at one end is the remains of the ply to give me the cutting angle...



Once covered, the two pieces were screwed in place and the timber edging from the old board was nailed back. The track was reballasted (ex pipe bedding material from our water scheme) and the depot put back.



The last pic shows shows the curvature of the base..



So that's a bit more of the old rot gone. Don't worry, I'm still full of it!

 

[trammayo]

Well, the rampant growing season has made the garden line a jungle of weeds (again) but one area of my little railway empire doesn't grow weeds. Yesterday, I took a couple of pics at our local Club's Annual Field day (Mayo North Old Engine and Tractor Club). It was quiet at this corner of the show - until my power supply (battery) decided to invite a gremlin in to the circuitry.

Everything had run for three hours or so without any problems. Then the number of visitors starts to grow when you cannot run anything!

Trailer - all running OK ...



and the new B unit performed well (it ought to because it was being dragged along!).



So now to set to and determine what is causing a short circuit!

 

[trammayo]

I was unable to find the fault, but did fit a new PWM control. I also fitted a volt meter and was quite pleasantly surprised to see that there was hardly any appreciable voltage drop through the speed control. Following a daily testin for the rest of the week, there were no electrical problems at last Sunday's show.

Usual excuses for photograph quality (no control there)...

 

[trammayo]

The one thing that did go wrong, was when I lifted out the bridge on the back straight to go get my diary. The diesel train occupied the back straight but I had shut that section down so all was OK. But it wasn't! I had not returned the points, so the first train round from the front of the trailer went on to the straight. The annie (with three coaches on the R1 curve manage to shove the 9ft long diesel train approximately one loco length!

As the bridge was still out, it didn't take more than a micro second for the loco to nose-dive onto the floor.,

First one's a posed shot as the loco has received a replacement coupling!



The only casualty - a smashed coupling!



I didn't want this to happen again so I scratched my head (still getting the splinters out of my fingers). I suppose, if I was technically minded, I could have devised an interlock which both shut off the power and sound a waring that the points were not reset for the other route. But I am not technically competent - or at least, in this case, I am taking the crudest and most basic option!

The bridge and the 'route' .....





.... and the bridge connects these two portions of the straight...




The easiest course of action was to create a physical obstacle - with the worst outcome being a blown fuse from a stalled loco...

A piece of 3 x 1 sawn fence rail with a six inch nail portion as a locator, and piece of roofing strap to prevent any further movement ....





Now all I need to do is remember to insert the dumb buffer when I take the bridge out!

 

[Rhinochugger]

I think there's a firm called Modratec who make miniature interlocking signal lever frames - I'm sure that would do the trick ever so not very cheaply

 

[trammayo]

I think there's a firm called Modratec who make miniature interlocking signal lever frames - I'm sure that would do the trick ever so not very cheaply

I wouldn't know what to look for and besides, benefitting from short arms and deep pockets, I doubt I would be able to reach my wallet!

 

[Rhinochugger]

I wouldn't know what to look for and besides, benefitting from short arms and deep pockets, I doubt I would be able to reach my wallet!

It's impressively expensive

http://modratec.com/

 

[trammayo]

It's impressively expensive

http://modratec.com/

One can dream!

 

[trammayo]

Yet another outing yesterday. This time to Ballinamuck in County Longford - about 244km round trip. Due to the high rainfall in the preceding week, a lot of exhibits were place along the roadside. The week previous ( when I had two shows during the course of that week) I suffered a lot of problems from the 'touchy feely' type - young and old alike - so I built some screens for the front of the trailer. I had already made two screens for the ends which stopped the younger onlookers from causing too much damage so it was a logical progression really.

Made from ripped down fence rails, the wood has a nominal 25x25mm cross section. Covered in cellophane (stapled to the 'back') it proved useful.



I did have to put the 'arms' and the bunting around because the screens were not made for adults to lean on (at least it prevented peope from leaning on the scenery!).

 

[David1226]

That's a shame as the screens do detract from the view of the layout, pity you cannot replace the bunting with electrified barbed wire.

David

 

[trammayo]

That's a shame as the screens do detract from the view of the layout, pity you cannot replace the bunting with electrified barbed wire.

David

I had thought of electric fence ribbon and a unit ticking away (but not connected)! It takes a very high voltage to damage wood!

 

[PhilP]

I had thought of electric fence ribbon and a unit ticking away (but not connected)! It takes a very high voltage to damage wood!

You are not suggesting your audience are thick as planks, are you Mick?

 

[trammayo]

You are not suggesting your audience are thick as planks, are you Mick?

Moi? Non - just a few! I meet some lovely people but it's always the exceptions that wind me up. Unfortunately I tend to remember the less positive experiences!